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As promised, let's talk about the events of 6/5/2020 in Atlanta. I naively and incorrectly assumed would be reported on by news media, but that never happened. This is gonna be a lengthy thread but I promise it has a great ending instead of doom-and-gloom.
First, a disclaimer. This was reconstructed primarily from notes I had saved during the event. I had just started listening into police radio, recording what I can, didn't even have a stream setup yet.
Atlanta was still under nightly curfew orders (9PM weekdays/8PM Friday through Sunday), the national guard was on the ground and actively providing cover for APD to brutalize peaceful protestors and perform mass arrests. Businesses were exempt from this curfew order.
One of the most important things to keep in mind is that APD stated specifically that they weren't comfortable performing mass arrests without the NG there to provide backup.
GSP was also providing support to APD, in addition to Fulton County law enforcement, typically FCSO and FC SWAT.
Once curfew hit, there were two main protest groups still active on the ground. The first group was heading down 10th in the direction of the beltline. GSP was placed in charge of monitoring the group.
You know how only 14 percent of Atlanta PD officers actually live in the city of Atlanta? Now try to imagine how many GSP troopers have any familiarity with the area at all. You may have some sense of where this is going, but trust me - you have no idea.
At 8:11 PM, police were discussing on radio "if [they] want to take enforcement action". At 8:14, APD advised GSP "you're clear if arrests need to be made." NG and any police not currently tracking a protest group were called to 10th and South Prado to prep for mass arrests.
This mass arrest action didn't end up happening, as some people split off towards their vehicles and the majority entered the beltline. Police were cautioned that "there's some businesses open, bars are open," meaning that just being out in the city isn't grounds for arrest.
Getting back to the events at hand, it was quickly evident that GSP's complete lack of familiarity with the layout of the actual City of Atlanta was a major problem. They absolutely couldn’t figure out how the hell to monitor the group once they got on the trail,
much less figure out where to stage to intercept anyone. There was mass confusion on the radio about cross streets, methods of access, and where the exits were. They went back and forth for the entire duration of the protest group they were watching.
At the same time that confusion and lack of clear command was playing out, a second group was already marching and headed in the direction of Ponce City Market. APD (with the help of NG and Fulton law enforcement) planned to mount a big show of force at PCM.
They got the national guard over there to set up, SWAT was waiting, the whole nine yards. Then, when protesters were just ten yards out, the owner of PCM did something that nobody was expecting. They told the guard and police to get the fuck off their private property.
According to radio, the owner of PCM said explicitly that the protesters were welcome to come onto the property and stay as long as they liked. As the guard and APD tried to figure out what the hell to do, the protesters kept marching down Ponce heading towards Briarcliff.
I, like I imagine many of the cops on scene, didn't immediately realize what was going on. PCM offered them safety, perhaps protestors didn't trust them? In all honesty I probably wouldn't have. Maybe protestors didn't get word that PCM was offering them safety?
But a couple minutes later it became clear. They were heading straight for the city limits. The curfew only affected the City of Atlanta - it had no power outside city limits.
Cops didn’t pick up on this until it was too late and gave up, instead escorting that group to the Atlanta city limits. Once the group was outside of city limits, police attention returned to the group on the beltline, estimated (by police, so dubious at best) at 400-500 people.
APD again gave authorization to arrest, but by that time protestors were all returning to their cars to leave. Luckily the incident commander told police not to arrest people who were returning to their cars.
(As an interesting side note, the night before this action I had actually captured a police lieutenant yelling at an officer for not arresting people who were clearly returning to their vehicle to leave.)
I cannot overstate the sadness in the voice of the lieutenant that relayed that order. I still remember it crystal clear, even now. I have records of a few people being detained earlier in the day, but APD reported no protest arrests for 6/5 at all.
Moral of the story? Protesters absolutely dunked on the cops, and through the amazing effort of organizers and protestors on the ground it was an absolute clinic in effective action.
There's a reason that organizers are advised to have a plan, don't tell the cops, and keep moving - it works. Dividing police attention and resources was critical to success. These tactics completely neutralized the opposition forces of city, state and federal law enforcement.
I love this city with my entire heart, and remain incredibly proud of the strength, ingenuity, and unity of activists and protestors who show up to resist all manner of oppression no matter where they come from.
I'd like to close the thread with these final thoughts. Please know that there are countless stories like this from cities around the world. We cannot rely on anyone else to tell them, and we must not let them stay hidden. Thank you for reading - stay strong and give 'em hell.
